Great Helmsman or ruinous dictator? China remembers Mao, 40 years after death

Small but vocal group of neo-Maoists dismiss western focus on famine and chaos to praise the republic’s founder on anniversary of passing

On Friday morning Zhang Hongliang, a 60-year-old academic, will jump out of bed and make his way to a secret rendezvous in north-western Beijing to sing a song about Mao Zedong.

Flanked by dozens of kindred Maoist spirits, the Chinese scholar will observe a minute’s silence before delivering a speech on the glories of the Great Helmsman’s 27-year-reign called: “Mao Zedong: the People’s Leader”.